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June 28, 2007

What’s green and what’s not?

From the New York Times article on Home Depot’s Eco Options
Marketing campaign:

…Plastic-handled paint brushes were touted as
nature-friendly because they were not made of wood. Wood-handled paint brushes
were promoted as better for the planet because they were not made of plastic.

An electric chainsaw? Green, because it was not gas-powered.
A bug zapper? Ditto, because it was not a poisonous spray. Manufacturers of
paint thinners, electrical screwdrivers and interior overhead lights claimed
similar bragging rights simply because their plastic or cardboard packaging was
recyclable…

… “Everybody is in a mad scramble to say how green they
are,” said Jim O’Donnell, manager of the Sierra Club Stock Fund, which
handles $50 million in a portfolio of companies it considers environmentally
friendly. He added that he was hopeful the product greening would become more
meaningful over time.

One reason for the scramble is that there are few verifiable
or certified standards to substantiate claims. Crest has introduced a
toothpaste containing green tea extract and natural mint, sold under the
“Nature’s Expressions” label, even though it contains artificial ingredients
like most toothpastes. Raid sells a wasp and hornet killer in a green can
marked “Green Options” with “Natural Clove Scent.”

“You almost have to be a scientist with a lab to decipher
the dizzying array of claims,” said Robyn Griggs Lawrence, editor in chief for
Natural Home magazine. “It’s hard to get information on what makes a product
green…”

And that’s why, for the purposes of the No Impact
experiment, rather than being overwhelmed with consumer decisions, we made just
one: don’t buy anything new (though we can buy new underwear and socks and
other things second hand). We follow, as closely as we can, the rules of the
original San Francisco Compact group. It's not a perfect solution, and it may sound like deprivation, but it
actually makes life easier than driving myself nuts trying to sort the enviro
from the enviro-spin.

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Comments

What’s green and what’s not?

From the New York Times article on Home Depot’s Eco Options
Marketing campaign:

…Plastic-handled paint brushes were touted as
nature-friendly because they were not made of wood. Wood-handled paint brushes
were promoted as better for the planet because they were not made of plastic.

An electric chainsaw? Green, because it was not gas-powered.
A bug zapper? Ditto, because it was not a poisonous spray. Manufacturers of
paint thinners, electrical screwdrivers and interior overhead lights claimed
similar bragging rights simply because their plastic or cardboard packaging was
recyclable…

… “Everybody is in a mad scramble to say how green they
are,” said Jim O’Donnell, manager of the Sierra Club Stock Fund, which
handles $50 million in a portfolio of companies it considers environmentally
friendly. He added that he was hopeful the product greening would become more
meaningful over time.

One reason for the scramble is that there are few verifiable
or certified standards to substantiate claims. Crest has introduced a
toothpaste containing green tea extract and natural mint, sold under the
“Nature’s Expressions” label, even though it contains artificial ingredients
like most toothpastes. Raid sells a wasp and hornet killer in a green can
marked “Green Options” with “Natural Clove Scent.”

“You almost have to be a scientist with a lab to decipher
the dizzying array of claims,” said Robyn Griggs Lawrence, editor in chief for
Natural Home magazine. “It’s hard to get information on what makes a product
green…”

And that’s why, for the purposes of the No Impact
experiment, rather than being overwhelmed with consumer decisions, we made just
one: don’t buy anything new (though we can buy new underwear and socks and
other things second hand). We follow, as closely as we can, the rules of the
original San Francisco Compact group. It's not a perfect solution, and it may sound like deprivation, but it
actually makes life easier than driving myself nuts trying to sort the enviro
from the enviro-spin.